Jabalpur

Search for Hotels in Madhya Pradesh

Jabalpur

General Info of Jabalpur

History of Jabalpur

Jabalpur is a beautiful city, located in the Mahakoshal region in the geographic center of India. Jabalpur is one of the largest cities in Madhya Pradesh. Jabalpur stands 120 in term of the fastest growing cities and urban areas in the world in 2006.Jabalpur city consists of Jabalpur Municipal Corporation, Jabalpur Cantonment, Khamaria township and Panagar Municipal Board. Jabalpur is the first district in India to have obtained the comprehensive ISO-9001 certificate. This has come into force from April 1, 2007.

Jabalpur also houses the Madhya Pradesh High Court. It is known as the judicial capital of Madhya Pradesh. The principal seat of the Madhya Pradesh High Court is in Jabalpur. The numerous gorges in the neighboring rocks surround the city with a series of lakes, which are shaded by trees and add much greenery to the suburbs. However, many of these lakes now have been encroached upon for the purpose of fishing or for building works, although the greenery still exists.

The city itself dates from the nineteenth century. It has a beautiful collection of Marble Rocks called Bhedaghat bordering the holy Narmada River. Many visitors every year come to visit Jabalpur because of this major attraction. Jabalpur is zonal headquarters for the western central division of Indian railways.

Jabalpur has a big Defence and Military Centre - HQ of the MPBO Area, the headquarters of West Central Railway Zone, the Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board, and the Madhya Pradesh High Courts.[6] It is also known for housing spiritual leaders like Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of Transcendental Meditation and Bhagwan Rajneesh.

History

The name of the city Jabalpur comes from a combination of the Arabic word Jabal= Mountain and the Sanskrit word Pura = city. Jabal is also the root word in the name of Gibraltar which was originally called Jebel al Tariq (Tariq's Mountain). It is believed that Jabalpur is the tapasya bhumi of a mythological figure known as sage Jabalie, from whom the name 'Jabali-pattan' is derived. Ashokan relics have been found. Later on it was the capital of the famous Tripuri kingdom in the (9th–10th centuries):-

The Haihayas and Gonds

In AD 875, it was taken over by the Kalachuri dynasty who made Jabalpur their capital. In the 13th century, the Gonds seized it and made it their capital. Inscriptions record the existence during the 11th and 12th centuries of a local line of princes of the Haihai people who are closely connected with the history of Gondwana.

First painting ever made on Maharani Durgawati shown gearing-up for battle of Narrai. This fresco by Beohar Rammanohar Sinha is in Jabalpur's 'Shaheed-Smarak'.

In the 16th century the Gond raja of Garha-Mandla extended his power over fifty-two districts, including the present Jabalpur. During the minority of his grandson, Asaf Khan, the viceroy of Kara Manikpur, conquered the Garha principality and held it at first as an independent chief. Eventually he submitted to the Mughal emperor Akbar. From time to time, the Mughal rulers tried to overrun it. The legendary Gond Queen Rani Durgavati also died fighting the Mughal forces led by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar. Jabalpur city is also famous because of Mr. Priyank Tiwari also known as the Robinhood Pandey

The Marathas

The Mughal Empire, however, enjoyed little more than a nominal supremacy; and the princes of Garha-Mandla maintained a practical independence until their subjugation by the Maratha governors of Sagar in 1781. They called it 'Jabbalgarh'. In 1798 the Maratha Peshwa granted the Narmada valley to the Bhonsle princes of Nagpur, who continued to hold the district until the British occupied it in 1818 after defeating the Marathas. The British made 'Jabbalgarh' the commission headquarters of the Narmada territories and established a cantonment here.

Historic 'Beohar Palace' where Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Azad and other national leaders stayed in 1933 and a session of Congress was held.

The Transitions

Rajman-Rajeshri Beohar Raghuvir Simha, born 1877 died 1960, was the last Jagirdar of Juppulpore to whose ancestors the estates were granted in 1764 in perpetuity by descendents of Rani Durgavati for acts of nationalism, patriotism, bravery in the battlefield in wars against Muslim invaders. His ancestor Rajman-Rajeshri Beohar Adhar Simha was Rani Durgavati's Prime Minister and her army's Knight-Commander who attained matyrdom fighting Akbar's forces alongside her in the battle of Narrai. Due to a very strong hold amongsts the masses, the hereditary title-prefix of "Beohar" and the Jagirdari were respected by the subsequent Bhoslas of Nagpur, the Peshwas of Saugor, and eventually the British who later became hostile due to the family's patriotism. In memory of Rajman-Rajeshri Beohar Raghuvir Simha, Civil Lines (North) is known as "Beohar Bagh" and the road between Collectrate and Adhartal is known as "Beohar Raghuvir Sinha Road".

British Raj

Under the British Raj, 'Jabbalgarh' became 'Jubbulpore' and was made the capital of the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories, which was part of the British North-Western Provinces. At that time it became infamous for the Thuggee murders, but made more famous by the man who suppressed thugee, William Henry Sleeman, who was later appointed commissioner at Jabalpur. Very few know that the actions against the "Thugs" or "Phasigaars" were actually initiated by Rajman-Rajeshri Beohar Dariyav Simha, the then Jagirdar of Jubbulpore, who then handed it over to W.H. Sleeman (then Major). For the noble cause of rehabilitation of thugs' families who were called "gurinds", the Beohar-family allowed their piece of land known as "Gurandi" in the heart of the town.

Dawn of Independence Movement 1857

In Jubbulpore, the first sparks for struggle for Indian independence from the British Raj were lit by Gadadhar Tiwari on 16 June 1857 when he opened fire on his European superiors. He was later blown publicly from the mouth of a canon. His supreme sacrifice did not go waste as the movement caught momentum in the region, albeit, was short lived. It broiled for more than four months during which the British were petrified, became extremely vulnerable and dreaded the worst. They ran out not only of support but also of supplies and were besieged in their own citadels. They survived only because a local banker/merchant came to their rescue which bought them time for reinforcements to arrive. The 1857 struggle was locally spearheaded by gond Raja Shankar Sahi and his son Yuvraj Raghunath Sahi who were later arrested and detained in a jail which still exists near DRM office. The movement culminated tragically following martyrdom of Raja Shankar Sahi and Yuvraj Raghunath Sahi from the mouth of a canon on 18 September at the very spot where Lady Elgin Hospital now stands. Subsequently, their supporters and masterminds Jagat Singh Rajput, Beohar Aman Simha, Ganga Mishra, Sooraj Prasad and others went underground and never surfaced. Their estates and assets were confiscated.

End of 19th Century CE

The Saugor and Nerbudda Territories became part of the new Central Provinces in 1861 which in 1903 became the Central Provinces and Berar. By the early 20th century CE, Jubbulpore became the headquarters of a brigade in the 5th division of the Southern Army.

Beohar Rajendra Sinha helping his guest Mahatma Gandhi on the staircase in Jabalpur in 1933 during Bapu's historic Harijan Yatra.

Gandhian Era

Mahatma Gandhi's longest and most important stay in Jubbulpore was in 1933 at the "Beohar Palace" of Beohar Rajendra Simha. Bapu was accompanied by Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Ravishankar Shukla, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, Khurshed Nariman, Abul Kalam Azad, Jamnalal Bajaj, Dr Syed Mahmud, Mahadev Desai, etc., and a meeting of AICC/CWC was held at the "Beohar Palace". Bapu's grandson Kanu (son of Ramdas Gandhi) also stayed with him at the "Beohar Palace" at Sathia Kua. Mahatma Gandhi's memorabilia of that occasion are still well preserved by the descendents of Beohar-family represented by Beohar Dr Anupam Sinha.

An important landmark event was the holding of the Tripuri Congress session in 1939 that was presided over by Subhash Chandra Bose. Politically under Lokmanya Tilak's direction Jhanda Satyagraha was launched with success (who visited 3 times) Mahatma Gandhi visited 4 times and famous Congress session was held at 'Vishnudatt Shukla Nagar' at TilwaraGhat (near Jubbulpore) in 1939 when Subhash Chandra Bose was elected the Congress President against the wishes of Mahatma Gandhi. A memorial Kamania gate was erected in city.

Post Independence

After India's independence in 1947 Jubbulpore started being spelt Jabalpur. Like any other city, Jabalpur also mourned Mahatma Gandhi's mytyrdom in 1948. Because of Bapu's strong linkages with Jabalpur and a very special love for it, his mortal remains were brought to the city. After going through the entire city, the urn containing Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed in holy river Narmada by Pt. R.S. Shukla, Beohar Rajendra Simha, Seth Govindas and others on 12 February 1948 in Tilwara Ghat where a massive unprecedented condolence meeting was held and addressed by these national leaders, great freedom-fighters and Gandhian-philosophers from Jabalpur. In 1950-51, the Central Provinces and Berar became the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla became the first Chief Minister of a Congress led Government.

Places Of Tourist Attraction

Dhuandhar waterfall near Jabalpur is a major tourist attraction.

BhedaGhat - Marble Rocks.

This small village of Jabalpur district situated on the banks of river Narmada and widely famous for its marble rocks is at a distance about 25 km from Jabalpur by road. Soaring in glittering splendor, the marble rocks at Bhedaghat rise to a hundred feet on either side of the Narmada. The serene loveliness of the scene is one of cool quiet, the sunlight sparkling on the marble-white pinnacles and casting dappled shadows on the pellucid waters. In his Highlands of Central India Captain J. Forsyth speaks eloquently about the infinitely varied beauty of the rocks. ilver, touching here and there with bright lights the prominence of the middle heights and again losing itself in the soft bluish grays of their recesses.....Here and there the white saccharine limestone is seamed by veins of dark green or black volcanic rock; a contrast which only enhances like a setting of jet, the purity of the surrounding marble.

The famous BhedaGhat and Dhuandhar have served as a beautiful site for shootings of movies like Jis Des Mein Ganga Bheti Hai, Asoka etc. The area also serves as a source of marble, the marble statues and sculptures made by local sculptors are famous throughout the country.

Dhuandhar

The famous waterfall is located just 25 km from Jabalpur. The Narmada making its way through the Marble Rock's narrows down and then plunges in a waterfall known as Dhuandhar or the smoke casade. So powerful is the plunge that its roar is heard from a far distance. The falls and the breaking of the volume of water at the crest present an awesome spectacle of Nature's power unleashed.

Chausath-Yogini (Sixty Four female Yogis)

Situated atop a hill rock and approached by a long flight of steps,the Chausath-Yogini Temple commands a singularly beautiful view of the Narmada flowing through the jagged gorge of Marble Rocks in Bhedaghat. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this 10th century temple has exquisitely carved stone figures of deities belonging to the Kalchuri period. According to a local legend, this ancient temple is connected to the Gond Queen Durgavati's palace through an underground passage.

LamhetaGhat

Vaishnav and Shaiva temples contructed by the Beohar-dynasty in c. 17-18th century CE in LamhetaGhat near Jabalpur alongside the eastern shore of holy river Narmada upstream of the Marble Gorge 'BheraGhat'. A "must-visit" place for those interested in history, religion, photography, or just simply picnicing (veg foods are OK; a holy place) at a peaceful location. Beautiful view of Narmada River from the holy temples, especially at dusk. The holy location is few kilometers upstream of the Marble Rocks which is accessible from the Dhuadhar Waterfall as well as Tilwara-Medical bypass. It is said that last rites performed here has same significance as at Gaya. There is also a shani kund, extremely beneficial to those affected by Shani-Dev. Most importantly, there are several beautiful and historic temples constructed by the Beohar dynasty between 16-18th century CE, including the till-top Radhika-Madhav Temple (also referred-to as Radha-Krishna/Radha-Govind Temple), Shiv-Bhaskar (also known as Shiv-Surya Temple), Lambodar-Siddhivinayak, Ram-Janki, Mekalsuta-Reva, Kadambari-Sharda, Batuk-Bhairav, and Marutinandan-Anjaneya Temples. The entire temple complex, housing about 6-7 temples and a dharmshala on the banks of Narmada, is collectively referred-to as "Shankarji Maharaj Mandir Parisar" because Shiv-Bhaskar temple is the main one. Following the earthquake of 1997, some of these are delapidated whereas others have been repaired and/or renovated. While the temples are of Beohar family-owned and family-operated private trust "Sri Radhakrishna Charitable Private Trust" Managing-Trustee Beohar Dr Anupam Sinha, the local custodianship is under the family priest Pandit Santosh Dubey ji maharaj. Some tiling and landscaping work on the river bank has recently been completed by the Narmada Valley Development Authority and by MP Tourism making it more practical and convenient to visit.

TilwaraGhat

From where Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed in the Narmada by Beohar Rajendra Simha, Pandit Ravishankar Shukla, Laxman Singh Chauhan, Seth Govindas, Dwarka Prasad Mishra, etc., and venue of the open session of the Tripuri Congress in 1939.

Rani Durgavati Memorial and Museum

Dedicated to the memory of the great Queen Durgavati is her memorial and a museum which houses a fine collection of Sculptures, Inscriptions and Prehistoric Relics.

Bargi Dam

It is a multipurpose project on river Narmada. It's also a tourist spot, Local authorities have started a cruise boat which runs on the reservoir of Bargi dam. ld city area of Hanuman Tal has been residence of Malpani family of Jabalpur. It is worth a visit for its architecture, marble carvings, wall decorations and picturesque ornamentations.

MadanMahal Bastion

Built by the Gond ruler Maharaja Madan Sahi, in 1116 atop a rocky hill, the fort dominates the skyline and provides a panoramic view of the town and the country side around it.

Balancing Rocks

Jabalpur is also famous for eroded volcanic rock formations called as Balancing Rocks of Jabalpur. This rock is situated near the base of Madan Mahal Fort, in Deotal in a place called Shailparna.

Sangram Sagar and Bajna Math

These medieval constructions were built by the famous Gond King Sangram Shah between 1480-1540.

Beohar House

Constructed soon after completion of the building which now houses the High Court of MP, this private manor has had the honor of hosting several visiting luminaries including Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vinoba Bhave, Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh), Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan or Bacha Khan, Madeleine Slade or Mirabehn, Jamnalal Bajaj, Maithili Sharan Gupt, Shankar Dayal Sharma, Kaka Kalelkar, Thakkar Bapa, Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Somnath Hore, A. Perumal, Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, Medha Patkar, Nirmal Verma, Rehman, etc. History books of early 1820-1830s refer to this area as Jamnera and subsequently 'Beohar Grove' which was later converted to Civil Lines by the British. When the railway line was laid, it bisected the area into North and South, and this area became Civil Lines (North). This entire area is now popularly referred-to as 'Beohar-Bagh' which means Garden of the Beohars'.

Historic Radha Krishna temple-complex of Beohar-dynasty

RadhaKrishna Temple-Complex incorporating the Shiva Temple (Beohar-dynasty) Historic temples in several ways, these Vaishnav and Shaiva temples in old city Jabalpur were constructed by Beohar-dynasty in c. 17-18th century CE and boast to be the first renaissance temples inasmuch as these were one of the first series of temples in India to be opened to the Harijan (outcaste) in 1929 by Beohar Raghuvir Sinha with his friends Ghanshyam Das Birla and Jamnalal Bajaj. These great leaders visited Jabalpur on the occasion. The RadhaKrishna temple houses the idols of Shri Radha-Krishna (gifted by Maharaja Chhatrasal of Panna to the ancestors of Beohar-dynasty, supposed to be replicas of the idols of Bhagwan JugalKishore ji) alongside Shri Ram-Janki ji and several other Gods and Goddesses.

Beohar Sarovar

Beohar Sarovar - a gigantic man-made reservoir which never dries up (picture taken in peak of summer). A private-owned beautiful reservoir, also known popularly as "BurhanSagar" alongside NH7 (Jabalpur-Sihora section) about 20–25 km from Jabalpur. It was the summer retreat of the Beohars (ex-Jagirdars of Jabalpur) which remains full of water all year round with lots of natural Indian lotuses. It is also frequented by migratory birds and is a roving-avian haven. The natural flow of rain water has been stopped by piling-up earth and lining the ridge with stone blocks thereby creating a reservoir. Several centuries ago, the construction was supervized by one Burhan Shripaal who worked for the Beohar-family, hence the names "BeoharSarovar" and also "BurhanSagar". The village Burhagarh is located on a hillock on top of which stood Haveli of the Beohars. As a guest of Beohar Rajendra Simha in 1933, Mahatma Gandhi stayed here. Beohar Rajendra Simha subsequently named the village "GandhiGram".

Kachnar City

It is locality in Vijayanagar suburb of Jabalpur and is famous for about 70 feet high Lord Shiva statue which houses a cavern with replicas of Shivalingam from important holy shrines of Lord Shiva all over country.

Hanuman Tal

This is one of the 52 tals (lakes) in Jabalpur (Thirteen of them have now fully dried). It is believed that this lake was formed when Hanuman ji put his feet on the ground.

Excursions of Jabalpur

Bhedaghat
Bhedaghat is a town and a nagar panchayat in Jabalpur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is situated by the side of river Narmada and is approximately 20 km from Jabalpur city. It’s most famous sights are the Duandhar Falls, Marble Rocks, and the Chausath Yogini temple.

Bargi Dam
Bargi Dam Water Sports: Bargi dam is built on Narmada River and is about 40km. away from Jabalpur city of Madhya Pradesh, India. Tourist attraction here are water sports like cruise ride, motor-boat ride, speed boat ride etc. Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department has its own resort in Bargi Dam and promotes it as important section of Jabalpur Sightseeing or Excursion Tour from Jabalpur.

Dumna
On the way to Jabalpur Dumna Airport, eco tourism site called Dumna Nature Reserve has been opened for general public. It is spread over an area of 1058 hectare of land. Located at 10 kms from Jabalpur city center on Dumna Airport road. One can do nature walk, fishing, wild animal sighting, bird watching etc on this nature reserve.

Gurudwara Gwari Ghat
This is where Guru Nanak Dev ji crossed Narmada River to give sermons to Sarbang Rishi. An attempt is being made to present complete Sikh history through the medium of paintings in the museum for the Sikhs of Jabalpur and Sikhs and other travelers visiting here

Katangi Waterfall
Katangi village is situated about 30 kms from Jabalpur city and the natural fall is one of the most beautiful waterfall near Jabalpur. Katangi waterfall is not the most popular but a must visit place near Jabalpur.

Tour Packages of Jabalpur

How to get there

Air

Jabalpur Airport (IATA Code: JLR) is known as DUMNA Airport and is about 20 km from city. Kingfisher airlines via its Kingfisher red service ATR aircraft is providing one daily non-stop service on the Jabalpur-New Delhi route. This flight also provides connection to other cities like Mumbai, Ahmadabad, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Banaglore and Chennai via New Delhi. Indian Airlines runs four days a week non-stop service on the New Delhi-Jabalpur route and provides connection to other cities via New Delhi. Kingfisher Red: Delhi Indian Airlines: Delhi.

Road

Jabalpur is well connected to Nagpur, Bhopal, Allahabad and Jaipur so you can travel easily by roads also. Jabalpur is well connected to Mandla for every ten minutes there is a state bus. The city is connected with three National Highways
NH 7 (Varanasi-Kanyakumari) longest National Highway in India which goes from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to the southernmost tip of India, Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
NH 12 (Jabalpur-Jaipur)
NH 12A (Simga, Chattisgarh- NH 26 near Jhansi)

Railways

Jabalpur is the headquarters of West Central Railways and is well connected with mail and super-fast trains from Mumbai, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Gwalior, Kolkata, Indore, Vadodara, Patna, Guwahati Lucknow, Chennai, Bangalore, Nagpur, Pune, Jaipur, Jammu, Hyderabad, Surat, Varanasi, and Goa. Apart from broad-gauge railways, Jabalpur is notable for having narrow-gauge railways (which connect with Gondia). Work to convert this Gondia-Nainpur-Jabalpur narrow gauge to broad gauge has been started under Project Unigauge and will provide new opportunities as southern India will be reachable quickly. Gondia Jabalpur was the first of the trains started by British government. It passes through beautiful mountains, valleys and forests on its way. Many trains are offering services from Jabalpur Station.